EVOMA · The influence of Environmental Variability On Mussel Aquaculture and adaptation in the context of global ocean change
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2017-11-16 → 2020-03-06
- EU contribution
- €158,122
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF-EF-ST
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
The influence of Environmental Variability On Mussel Aquaculture and adaptation in the context of global ocean change
Predictions of global climate change are based on average trends. However, the natural environment is highly variable and this is ultimately what organisms respond to. How natural variability of seawater conditions influences marine organisms is not fully understood, although there is evidence that exposure to variability today can help species adapt to future conditions. One important stressor is pH, which is declining in a process called ocean acidification. As atmospheric carbon dioxide is increasing in the atmosphere, carbon dioxide is absorbed by surface oceans causing acidification. This project reviewed the influence of pH variability on marine organisms’ sensitivity to ocean acidification and addressed the influence of pH, temperature, and salinity variability on the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis in the context of global change. Understanding how current environmental variability shapes species tolerances or sensitivity to global change is necessary for deciding where to invest management strategies such as habitat protection and restoration efforts. The focal species, M. galloprovincialis, is a globally important aquaculture and this industry may need to adapt its practices in light of global change. The objectives of this project were to review the literature on organismal responses to pH variability in the context of ocean acidification, perform experiments on M. galloprovincialis to quantify their sensitivity to pH, temperature, and salinity variability, and track pH variability at two aquaculture farms in Spain.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Global ocean change (GOC, including warming and acidification) poses one of the largest threats to marine fisheries and aquaculture. Yet, there are still few predictive consequences, due to the limited understanding of species’ in situ responses. Recent studies suggest that spatial differences in environmental conditions influence physiological tolerances of marine populations. This project tests the hypothesis that environmental variability of multiple stressors (temperature, pH, salinity) enhances physiological hardiness of sensitive early life-stages of an economically valuable mollusk, the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. The project implements a novel, three-pronged, multidisciplinary approach using (1) population comparisons to assess performance of mussels from sites of low and high environmental variability, (2) mild stress exposures to test for enhanced physiological performance in the field, and (3) larval cultures to assess proteomic responses to temporal variability of multiple stressors and carryover effects to juveniles. This project includes collection of oceanographic time-series data at field sites (including at an aquaculture farm), with state-of-the-art pH sensors, to identify frequency of stress events and inform experimental design. This still rare approach, using in situ data with laboratory studies, improves environmental realism in GOC studies. The project addresses a crucial gap in the current understanding of coastal environmental variability and multiple stressors and has direct application to aquaculture practices. By combining the researcher’s and host’s expertise on marine physiology related to GOC pressures, this project will advance innovations in the field of GOC biology, state-of-the-art pH sensor technology transfer, and applied proteomics, and will thus become an important step forward in the career of a Researcher dedicated to GOC biology, and strengthen European expertise in these fields.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS · MadridCoordinatorSpain
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union